This invention is related to check controlled metering devices such as has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,218,011; 4,222,518 and 4,226,360. In these prior patents I have disclosed various arrangements for operating a metering device, particulary a postage meter, by means of a valid or validated check or coupon. The valid check is brought into operative engagement with the postage meter and permits charging the postage meter so that the meter is usable for a new incremental sum of money, typically a sum of $100, $200 or $500, depending upon the setting of the meter mechanism or other factors.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,222,518 and 4,226,360 I have disclosed arrangements wherein the owner of the postage meter, also termed subscriber, is required to obtain predetermined code data from a remote computer and input the code data obtained at the meter in order to render the meter operable. The data obtained must be in predetermined relationship with the coded data on the check. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,071 I have disclosed an arrangement wherein the code data obtained are entered directly on the check itself by the subscriber. The check, in this manner, is validated and usable for operating the postage meter.
The present operation provides an arrangment in which the check becomes validated for use by means of a computer controlled terminal. The computer either forms a part of the terminal or is located at a remote location for controlling the operation at a plurality of terminals.
As disclosed hereafter, there is provided an apparatus which may comprise the terminal of a computing means. The subscriber previously has obtained, by purchase or otherwise, a check for operating a postage meter which is under his control. At this moment the check is not usable, i.e. invalid, for rendering the meter operable because either the check is new or the previously authorized increment provided by the check to the meter has been used. In order to validate the check, the subscriber inserts the check into the apparatus. The apparatus by suitable sensing means, such as magnetic decoding means, senses, for instance, the subscriber identification data and the meter data on the check and transmits the data to the computing means. In addition, the subscriber is required to input by key means additional information only known to him which may comprise additional subscriber identification data, the respective readings of the descending counter and of the ascending counter of the meter register. These data are processed by the computing means and if the data are in predetermined correlation, for instance, the sum of the two counter readings equals a stored sum in the computing means and absent any credit hold input stored in the computing means, data are sent to the apparatus to suitably encode the check to thereby validate it for rendering the postage meter operable when the validated check is brought into operative engagement with the meter as disclosed in my earlier patents supra.
Other features of this invention will be more clearly apparent by reference to the following description which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.